June 15th of Grade 10 (sophmore in the U.S.) marks a pivotal moment in the NCAA recruiting process for high school athletes who want to play at the college level. This date is significant because it’s the first day NCAA coaches can directly contact athletes and their parents. This change in communication regulations opens up a new phase in the recruiting process. It offers athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents and start building relationships with potential future coaches.
How Does This Change Your Communication With Coaches?
Prior to June 15th, NCAA regulations restrict coaches from initiating direct contact with athletes and their parents. However, starting on this date, NCAA coaches can call, email, and text athletes, fostering more personalized and frequent communication. This shift allows coaches to express their interest directly to the athletes, providing clearer insights into where they stand in the recruiting process. These interactions could cover topics like athletic scholarships, academic scholarships and how you would contribute to the team’s goals. Athletes can now engage in two-way conversations, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of what different programs have to offer.
What is Allowed/Not Allowed?
Allowed After June 15th:
- Direct Contact: NCAA coaches can initiate phone calls, send emails, and text messages to athletes and their parents.
- Recruiting Materials: NCAA coaches can send recruiting materials, including brochures, camp invitations, athletic scholarship availability, and official visit information.
- Official and Unofficial Visits: Aspiring NCAA athletes can arrange and go on official visits to campuses. In this case, expenses are often covered by the school, and unofficial visits at their own expense.
- Verbal Offers: NCAA coaches can extend verbal offers to athletes starting on June 15th of your grade 10 year. These are non-binding agreements, but are often the first step towards a formal athletic scholarship.
Needless to say, there is a lot of anticipation leading up to June 15th from all parties.
Should you expect a sea of coaches calling?
Yes, it’s possible that this may happen! If you’ve been working with Six Pack Recruiting on your recruiting strategy leading up to June 15th of your Grade 10 year, you’ll have a pretty good idea if this will be you.
What if you’ve been working with a recruiter and no one calls?
This may happen, especially if your recruiter hasn’t been overly active with you. If you’ve been working with Six Pack Recruiting leading up to June 15th, you’ll be fully prepped on what to expect and why.
Do you wait to start your recruiting on or after June 15th?
Don’t wait. If the dream is to play NCAA, start as early as you can. Ideally you want to get on these coaches’ radars early and have someone like Six Pack Recruiting navigate the conversations prior to June 15th of Grade 10, so that you already have a jump start on which schools and coaches you’re interested in playing for and vice versa! Even if you’re an aspiring NCAA volleyball player in Grade 9 right now, you should be starting the NCAA recruiting process now so that this time next year you’ll be in the best position possible for your recruiting.
This is a very exciting time for you! Consider it as this is one step closer to committing to your dream school!
